Google upping the ante on Hulu bid

Jumping through Hulu's hoops

Google has ramped up its proposed bid for Hulu, according to reports, where it is looking to spend big on the company in return for a longer hold on its television programme assets.

Google already owns YouTube but All Things Digital is reporting that it has given Hulu an offer that is wholly different from anything else on the table.

While Hulu's parent companies are not yet sure if they are willing to sell the service – it is owned by NVC, Fox and Disney – the likes of Amazon and Yahoo are interested in acquiring the video streaming site.

Mo' money…

Google is said to be offering more money than any other company (the others are looking to spend around $2 billion) but in return it wants access to much more content and it wants the rights to this content for a longer period of time.

Given that Hulu has lost some of its lustre in the US, this may well be an offer that will entice Hulu's owners to sell up. And it is not as if Google isn't averse to spending a huge chunks of cash, given that it bought Motorola for a cool $15.5 billion.

Couple this will Google TV, which would more than benefit from premium content and it could be a match made in televisual heaven.

There's no fixed date on if and when Hulu will change owners, but we could know as early as next week; and hopefully there will be some information on a UK launch soon after.